prodromal
adjective
pro·dro·mal
(ˌ)prō-ˈdrō-məl 
medical
: being a prodrome
… about 50% of patients may have prodromal symptoms that include malaise and fever.—
James W. Wheless
: marked by prodromes
James W. Wheless… the prodromal stage of Alzheimer's.—Barbara Ehrenreich
Barbara EhrenreichAfter exposure to mouse droppings and a compatible incubation period, a prodromal phase of fever, chills, headache, myalgias, and vomiting was followed within 3 to 7 days by the cardiopulmonary phase of cough and dyspnea.—David K. Rhee et al.
David K. Rhee et al.prodromal individuals
Examples of prodromal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To address this, authors indicated there is increasing interest in multi-method longitudinal screening during the prodromal period, incorporating multiple measures rather than relying on single assessments at isolated time points.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
Similarities Despite their differences, hidradenitis suppurativa and herpes simplex virus are both chronic (long-term) conditions that may involve a prodromal phase and affect quality of life.
—Brandi Jones, Msn-Ed, Health, 14 July 2024
Furthermore, because current clinical tests are costly, diagnosing the disease in its prodromal stages—before tremor onset—can be difficult.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 July 2023
The prodromal migraines, however, never went away.
—Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2022
In about 2 in 5 cases, the illness started with the rash -- but no reported prodromal symptoms such as chills, headache or malaise.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022
Schulte and May found that on the day before a migraine struck (i.e. the 'preictal' or prodromal phase) evoked neural activity in the hypothalmus was higher, and functional connectivity between the hypothalamus and the brainstem was increased.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 22 May 2016
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Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
Similarities Despite their differences, hidradenitis suppurativa and herpes simplex virus are both chronic (long-term) conditions that may involve a prodromal phase and affect quality of life.
—Brandi Jones, Msn-Ed, Health, 14 July 2024
Furthermore, because current clinical tests are costly, diagnosing the disease in its prodromal stages—before tremor onset—can be difficult.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 July 2023
The prodromal migraines, however, never went away.
—Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2022
In about 2 in 5 cases, the illness started with the rash -- but no reported prodromal symptoms such as chills, headache or malaise.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022
Schulte and May found that on the day before a migraine struck (i.e. the 'preictal' or prodromal phase) evoked neural activity in the hypothalmus was higher, and functional connectivity between the hypothalamus and the brainstem was increased.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 22 May 2016
Cite this Entry
“Prodromal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prodromal. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
prodromal
adjective
pro·dro·mal
(ˈ)prō-ˈdrō-məl
variants
also prodromic
: being a prodrome
The rash may be pruritic, maculopapular, or morbilliform, and about 50% of patients may have prodromal symptoms that include malaise and fever.—James W. Wheless, WebMD Scientific American Medicine
: marked by prodromes
James W. Wheless, WebMD Scientific American Medicinethe prodromal stage of a disease
For 84 (92%) of the patients, a prodromal illness occurring within two weeks before the onset of vomiting or neurological symptoms of Reye's syndrome was reported.—The Journal of the American Medical Association
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